Over the last two weeks, I had the chance to review about eighty job applications for a front-end position. The position requires strong JavaScript knowledge, but it also requires HTML and CSS. And here’s a thing: nearly no one could show off substantial markup skills, not to talk about accessibility.
Although I only had the chance to review their personal websites or GitHub profiles and this might of course not be a full show-off of their knowledge, it assured my lately developed opinion on web developers. Many are not able to choose the right HTML elements, to explain why and how a clearfix works, or what ARIA roles are for, but they can use React and Angular. If you got some spare time over the next weeks, learn semantics and re-read the basics (or specs if you like the challenge) of HTML and CSS from time to time.

Over the last two weeks, I had the chance to review about eighty job applications for a front-end position. The position requires strong JavaScript knowledge, but it also requires HTML and CSS. And here’s a thing: nearly no one could show off substantial markup skills, not to talk about accessibility.

Although I only had the chance to review their personal websites or GitHub profiles and this might of course not be a full show-off of their knowledge, it assured my lately developed opinion on web developers. Many are not able to choose the right HTML elements, to explain why and how a clearfix works, or what ARIA roles are for, but they can use React and Angular. If you got some spare time over the next weeks, learn semantics and re-read the basics (or specs if you like the challenge) of HTML and CSS from time to time.

Further Reading on SmashingMag:

General

There’s a lot of discussion currently about the web getting too complex, and some even claim the web is broken. Remy Sharp instead has a different view on the new technologies, options we have today and how we can use them together with our base technology from 25 years ago. The article is best described by Remy’s own words: “Why I love working with the web”.

Concepts & Design

Overpass is a new open source web font family inspired by Highway Gothic, looking fresh and solid.

Security

Jack Leonard from Barricade, a security service provider, explains with a very nice infographic how an attack to a web app works today. In another post he also describes how you can develop for security.

This amazing guide gives you a full introduction into how to set up HTTP/2 from scratch — including the required TLS certificate and server configurations needed.

Accessibility

pa11y is your new best friend if you want to have automated accessibility testing. It monitors your website and reports accessibility issues. In that, it is similar to Tenon, a commercial SaaS alternative that you don’t need to set up and maintain on your own.

pa11y, your new best friend when it comes to automated accessibility testing.

JavaScript

Ada Rose Edwards shares how she writes modern ES6 JavaScript code and why she follows the approach to “use const by default, let only where it is required and var to identify code which needs to be refactored”.

Work & Life

After reviewing a lot of applications in the past days, I can only agree with Kristian Glass here and say: “If you get the chance, always send a cover letter”. It’s your opportunity to say something about yourself and make clear why you apply for the job.

Going beyond…

We have an ongoing problem with growing inequality around the world and a few super rich people (latest numbers say it’s down to 65) have as much money as the poorest 3.5 billion people. If we don’t change anything and do not oblige people to pay their taxes in their own countries or reject trickle-down economics as the World Bank officially declared just recently, this system will break and our own lives are likely to be affected.